Physical information

Location

Government

Position

Ruler

Leader

First appearance

Location on map

Chin Village is a medium-sized town located on the cliffs of the Earth Kingdom's southwestern coast. It plays host to the unique Avatar Day festival, a popular event that, prior to a radical change of perspective in 100 AG, was once held in retribution for AvatarKyoshi's alleged murder of their leader, Chin the Great.[1]

Contents

History

Encountering Avatar Kyoshi

Chin Village was named after Chin the Conqueror, a warlord and tyrant who launched a military conquest and was killed during a confrontation with Avatar Kyoshi when he threatened her home peninsula.[2]

The village was founded by the followers of the deceased warlord, who remembered him as Chin the Great, a great and loved ruler rather than a warlord. The people of Chin Village had, until recently, honored their fallen leader by celebrating what they called "Avatar Day", a day which celebrated their hatred for the Avatar.

Encountering Avatar Aang

It was on the day of the Avatar Festival in the spring of 100 AG that Avatar Aang, Sokka, and Katara entered the city. They enjoyed the festival, thinking that the effigies of Kyoshi, Roku, and Aang were there to honor the Avatar. However, when one of the villagers torched the effigies, Katara intervened by extinguishing the fire. Aang revealed his identity to the terrified people, and, in an attempt to clear his name, he agreed to stand trial according to the customs of the village. Unbeknownst to him, that meant that he would be imprisoned until the trial itself as the Mayor did not accept Water Tribecurrency for his bail.

While Aang bonded with his fellow inmates, Sokka and Katara investigated the crime scene of the alleged murder, where the villagers had erected a statue of Chin and a shrine to commemorate their fallen leader. Due to the material the buildings were erected from, the Water Tribe siblings were able to deduce that there was a big hole in Mayor Tong's story of how Kyoshi murdered Chin.

Aang was tried and found guilty at that spot to next day, though his sentencing was cut short when the Rough Rhinos invaded the town. Kahchi destroyed the statue of Chin the Great before Aang defeated him and blew him into the ocean. The rest of the fighting group proceeded to the town and started to destroy it by setting the houses on fire or tearing them down. However, due to the intervention of Team Avatar, the invaders were expelled, and the villagers repurposed "Avatar Day" to commemorate the day that the Avatar saved the town from destruction.[1]

Laws

The citizens of Chin Village stand in the village square.

Prior to Team Avatar's visit, the judicial system of the village was rather unconventional. Criminals were not given a trial as in other places, but were instead placed in front of a gathering of villagers where their punishment was decided. The accused were not permitted to defend themselves by formal methods; no defense lawyer, no evidence, and no witnesses were permitted. It was decided whether or not they were guilty by the mayor. If a guilty verdict was delivered, the Wheel of Punishment was presented, with varying degrees of punishments depicted on it, from community service to methods of execution. Members of the crowd often called out their preferred type of punishment.[1]

Avatar Day

Avatar Day was a festival unique to Chin Village which celebrated the animosity that the inhabitants had toward the Avatar. According to village history, Avatar Kyoshi killed their leader, Chin the Great, in 270 BG. Every year on the anniversary of Chin's death, the village celebrated Avatar Day to show their hatred for the Avatars. The Avatar Day festival was a parade with large paper floats, vendors selling deep-fried foods, and people celebrating. The highlight of the celebration occurred when giant paper effigies of Avatars Kyoshi, Roku, and Aang were paraded through the village to the center where upon they are lit.

After 370 years of this tradition, Avatar Day was altered to honor the Avatar and remember the day that Aang saved the village. Unfried dough in the shape of Aang was served in his honor as a reminder of the day Aang was not boiled in oil, as would have been his fate had the Rough Rhinos not attacked.[1]